On April 12, instead of going to school, I went with my dad and sister to a Bernie Sanders rally. Despite this not being an excused absence, my dad declared that he would rather tell the truth than pretend we were sick to appease the school’s rules on absences, which resulted in something along the lines of “Please excuse my daughters. They spent the day in Syracuse participating in democracy and experiencing history firsthand.”
While I could have gone to school, I was able to hear Bernie speak on a number of things that made me question my status, become angry, and realize the truth about our economy.
Overall, the experience served to further educate me on the complexities of our country’s political process and the influence the people can have in a campaign. Whether one is attending the rally of a candidate, listening to a speech, or watching the news, there are endless resources for educating oneself on the current political situation and how our country is run. Even though I cannot vote in the upcoming election, I see learning about the presidential campaign as invaluable. The youngest of voters are often seen as apathetic and uneducated; however, voter turnout for this season of primaries has been incredibly high. While history class can teach us what not to repeat, taking the time to educate yourself on how our democracy functions will lead to a highly active voting demographic in the near future.
Prior to this election, I had never heard of a superdelegate, and while I could just be out of the loop, I would wager to guess that most of my peers, and probably most adults, have little idea of what superdelegates are and their potential impact. Superdelegates result in an establishment in which high-ranking Democrats get to toss their vote to whichever candidate they would like, a system unrepresentative of the people. It is personal views and alliances that determine who is endorsed by the vote of a superdelegate; this vote is worth the same as a delegate a candidate wins in any state. Superdelegates are outdated, irrelevant, and undemocratic, and until more people realize the power they have in the primaries, they will continue to play an enormous role in deciding the democratic candidate. While Bernie is anti-superdelegates, no matter one’s political affiliation, superdelegates do not promote a fair election and allow money to continue to affect politics. It is things like the issue of superdelegates that give me an appreciation for being aware, as I know the policy could be changed if enough people develop an opinion on the issue.
As Bernie spoke, it dawned on me that his speech was so wonderful because so many of the issues he discussed are highly interconnected. Thinking about it further, though, I considered how such an entangled mess of issues could be pulled apart and wondered where the root of all these problems lay. Bernie himself admitted he could not hope to end all the problems he preaches solutions to, but he said he would acknowledge them and do his best to face them head-on.
As with the issue of superdelegates, acknowledging that there is a problem is the first step. Bernie’s biggest appeal for many is his honesty, and as with any candidate, it’s what they acknowledge as true that earns them most of their supporters. Change is not something that can be hoped for if issues are pushed aside to be faced at a more convenient time. They will never become convenient, a truth young and seasoned voters alike must accept. Research, listen, and learn about what is the truth, and it will be easier to determine a candidate whom you see as speaking the truth. It is up to young people to decide what they want to see changed in order for it to happen. As Bernie’s slogan, “a future to believe in,” goes, children are the future.